San Jose – NY Islanders: 2

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March 7, 2024

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Our pick: San Jose – NY Islanders: 2

08.03.2024 04:37

On January 20, new coach Patrick Roy joined the Islanders and things got noticeably better. The main criticism of previous coach Lane Lambert was towards the poor defense. Under him, the expected goals scored in a five-on-five game was 2.82, and the shorthanded was tragic. Shots on goal were regularly over 35, and if it weren’t for great goaltending, the Islanders would be at the bottom of the table.

Under Roy, the shorthanded has improved only slightly (from 24th to 18th), but when playing five-on-five, things have improved to the point where the Islanders are allowing only 2.1 expected goals per game, the best in the NHL. They are now performing great up front as well. They have scored 17 goals in their last four games, an average of 4.25 per game. This is a segment of the last ten days where they are the third best offensive team after Nashville and Colorado.

It’s not so much a good power play or a shooting dominance, it’s more about efficiency. In those 4 games they average 28 shots on goal, which is more like league average. But they are fantastic towards the back, where they only allow an average of 25 shots, and here it is the third best value. Today they play on the ground of a weak San Jose, which scores one goal after another, but concedes even more often. The Sharks have a 23:37 shooting deficit over the last ten days, the worst in the NHL.

What to bet on:

The Sharks are playing hockey and have horrible holes in their defense. The last time they play for a hopeful result like they did against Dallas, it’s because the opponent underestimates them. But they struggle against organized teams and the Islanders are playing very well systematically right now. The ticket is a clean two.

Trust:

8/10

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